Harrogate

It’s back for far too short a run and tour, but really pleased for Al Smith that the writing is getting another outing and great praise from those lucky enough to be able to get into the Royal court upstairs. Since its run at Hightide last year the role of Him has been taken brilliantly on by Nigel Lindsay, while Sarah Ridgeway excels as before as Her. I don’t want to say too much about what the play is about, the reviewers have touched on the themes, but it has been interesting to see how far back one can strip the environment, almost deliberately, to prevent the audience form getting too many clues from the space as to the nature of the characters and their relationships. I have also very consciously thought about how the audience should relate to the performers and to each other. By staging it in traverse looking into a  slice of  a white space the audience are very aware of their fellow viewers only 3 metres away across the void, early laughter is easily shared, then as the the piece develops and the themes become more disturbing it is interesting to feel how much the focus shifts onto the actors and we are wary about making eye contact with each other, preferring a more solitary troubled engagement with the piece.